The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1887-02-09

let there, his hands went up to his
throat and he stood still moment to
let dizzy faintness pass. There lay the
white wreck, seeming little more than
bones and eyes, beating his withered
hands to and fro, and rolling his head
upon the thin pillow in mop OF
whitest hair. The policeman took
hold of the tossing hands and put them
down; the head stopped rolling, and
the glazed eyes hunted for his face. In
a moment they seemed adjusted to
that ruddy mark, and the drawn lips
gasped: "Did--you-bring -her?n
"No, Ell feller-'e r friend come.
Again the staring eyes hunted until
at last they rested upon John Earnings
face. Then the skeleton-like figure
drew itself tremblingly up and leaning
on its elbow peered at him. The place
was lily lighted, and the sick, emaciated
old man with his vague, weary, wan
dering look, to John Earring was mex
pressibly terrible.
'.You-didn bring me-anybody, y
the parched lips said. .It's-only-
him, and it-looks = like-her, too!
I've seen em-always-centuries-
and centuries : and centuries, thcy
know-jt, they know-I done-it;
l wanted-to-tell-i -to-some
-elseT then he laid tremblingly down
again.
The veins that thridded John Earling' S
temples rose into ridges, and for mo-
ment vail seemed hanging before his
face as he family heard the policeman
saying: 'You better tell it to me!'
Then the day, the hour, the moment.
came back clear and vivid, and he
leaned forward with wildly beating
heart and listened.
The CLASSY eyes looked long time
up out OF their hollow sockets into the
policeman,s face, then the sick man
said, slowly and haltingly: ..I-never
told-no-one, but-it--don't mind
now, Lain = got - far - to - go. +"
Then he paused, breathing hard, and
looked intently into the face above
him as if striving to collect his men,
cries. !" Tve.-been sick "a long
time, it - seems like always always
always: duo-l-ueVeF coulu-Sel
! -here-to-her I-wanted-to-tell
Observation-Disclosures = her-the
place, and-I-wanted to tell her
never-to- touch-a--cent that come
off from it-as-I-never-had, but-to
-giye-it to the poor. I-wanted-to
-tell--her to will-it-to her--heirs
-that-way, so-may be - in time
the good = it = might = do-might-
make-my sin less. l wanted after l
got sick-to-t ell-her-aDhy, so she
would carry it out sure, but-you'll--
tell-her-won't you?''
Yes said the policeman, a little
TREMENDOUSLY.
Their the sick man stared hard at
the face above him again, as if nursing
his confused senses, and went on
brokenly and breathing hard: LAIN
l-got-far to 60; I-guess-he' s-gone;
but can't go without tellin' some one;
nd-me--done-it; he-done-
the-killin', but I-made--hhe-plann'
Then he stopped, and with wild eyes
tried to get up, but fell back and strug-
gled for breath. John Earling strained
forward with beads of sweat upon his
brow, and the policeman, sitting on
the pallets edge with a lantern in one
hand and with his other big purple
paw grasping the sick mans arm,
gasped out: "Snags and sandbars, but
this is riley!' and stared nervously at
the wild, withered face before him.
1t was some moments ere the sick
mans eyes again gathered any intel
ligent light, and then their power oil
sight seemed much as if it were re.
versed and saw within rather than
without then suddenly he cried,
wildly:
81 loved his wife- ELIZABETH"
then lay painting and glazing, "and
hated him! Oh! I-loved-her,-but
-she-never -knew-it; Twas lin.
sane-then, may be was-always-
insane;-an | loved her; l thought
may be if he Saskatchewan get
her; but-it-killed- her-too!'' and
the withered head rolled to and fire.
upon the hard thin pillow and moaned.
CT as-a-long time, -l-don't-
know-how done it nova getting
Prime -into-it; he was young and
kept my accounts then, he changed
his name - to-Fowler - when he
went West TO keep track-of-the-
child; he = done - the KILN and
took the money, and-I-kept the deed
to the place; but-when-she died
and-was- buried in-the ground !
never stepped on it afterwards without
fear; she-hunted-me and-pursued
me = always = everywhere : every
where-night and day-summer and
winter - always = everywhere = every
| where; then Fowler wrote me to
Brazil vast = BrazilP I-don't
-know-now,-he wrote nae the
child had-died may be it did
and may be he lied to
keep me from comm back and givin'
the land to-the-child- and-tell
but L couldn't come back Il
never quit goin' and goin' and trying
to-get--a way-from -her! But after
while i got poor-then--old-then sick
then well-then sick again-sick al
ways lways-then / set out to walk
here-I guess from Mexico,-I-
wanted to tell her my niece
aDhy, and bring her the will. have a
sister, used to have-named Bower
think-who lives out where they took
the child-somewhere out Vest
don ACKNOWLEDGMENT ought
a went there and seen if Fowler lied
-but-I-couldn't-I was afraid to;
I've always been afraid-always-al-
ways,-I left the land to my niece
Celeste Celeste Bright's her name, !
think-because l heard she was an or
phan-a nd-I-thought-may be--her
-heart-would-be soft from her
trnnhles-and-sha -wnnld-- he-snra